We grew up on Bonnie's in New Zealand, or didn't grow up, we owned more per head of population than anywhere else, they were the popular ride of choice for the bad boys, and we got them flying, showed many a tail light to a jappa, 70 was my favorite stock bike,
My first bike. Was going to buy a Honda 450 but there was a dock strike on in NYC and so I got my deposit back and a few days later this very same red/silver T120 was sitting on a pedestal at a Triumph dealer and it was love at first sight. What a beautiful bike it was and still is.
@@mjh5437 I'm no expert, there was probably not much difference apart from the handlebars, but to me, the photos of US spec Triumphs always looked cooler.
Cool Bike. I have a 1970 T120 R fantastic bike. Mine is original has not been touched faded paint a little rust on parts of the rim. But the engine is in suburb condition. Starts first kick every time. Vibration through the seat at 60 plus lets your arse know, but overall I love mine. These are great machines.
Reminds me of being in college, when both of my roommates had TR6s (I had a CB500-4). We rode through the Ohio countryside to see the Ramones, who were playing in Columbus. For some reason or other my bike was down so I rode on the back of the TR6. I don't know which is more memorable, the mosh pit at the concert, or that distinctive exhaust note through countryside.
Nice to see the old bikes out doing what they do best. It's been said that the "best" bike is the one that gives you the most grins per mile and the Bonny is just the thing. Cheers, Tim.
steve liked my bike, too. ordinary bonneville with noisy pipes. met him going the other way on a road in taiwan, he was making that river boat picture. he was off-sider in a yank tank, pontiac, probably, convertible, gave me a casual salute on the way by, warmed my heart for years. not sure why anyone prefers the single carb tr6, twiin carbs need a litle more care, but when you need top-end, you got some.
Nice one . That ride certainly brought-back some memories , there's Nothing like an old bike with a great exhaust-note, the sound and the ride are 'One' visceral-experience .Many/most modern bikes just dont seem to have it . Dave NZ
I have a 52 Matchless G80 and it has a similar feel.. It sounds good, It feels good and it looks stunning.. Lots of tinkering fun too.. It also goes better than what you would expect..
Sweet ! I have and love a 1966 650 triumph ' Saint ' and yes these are sexy ,, what bikes are supposed to look . Thanks for your effort .. On that I have just got a 2021 Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor and it has these bikes DNA . Thank's again .
In the 70's I owned a 1967 TR6P (ex police), in white, gold star pattern silencers, single carb but hotted up to near bonnie performance. Anywhere I parked it up it always attracted attention, it was a looker for sure!
Beautiful bike. My first real employment when I was young was at the local Triumph dealer. I was lucky to be able to ride most of these classic motorcycles.
So refreshing to find a channel that really showcases just how the bikes were and how they perform today. Being a collector of similar vintage, I fully relate to your search for the 'Perfect Lemon Drizzle' although my own version here in Canada is 'The Search for the Perfect Bennie'! I've enjoyed all of your videos to date, so please keep up the good work.
As a kid in a small town, I was always hanging out at the local dealerships, Harley, Honda, Yamaha, Triumph/BSA. All the dealerships were small brick and mortar type businesses. The coolest looking, riding, and sounding bikes were Triumph. (My opinion) I regret never owning a Triumph. Instead I spent the next 50 years riding Harleys. BTW, great channel.
I am an American and a Harley Sportster person but I sure am glad you are doing this because I like your stuff quite a bit. Wish I could afford to own one of your bikes to go with my Sportster!!
You should go and buy one. The bikes you get nowadays have been cosmetically restored as well as mechanically shorted not that there's much to go wrong on a Triumph. They are much more affordable than the crap that is sold by the modern Triumph company.
Well, I couldn't tell if you were enjoying it or not, except for the constant chuckles as you experienced the "classic bike ride". It's truly gorgeous, and sounds excellent, very nice, wish I were there. Thanks!
Ahhhh, brought back some memories of my 1968 T120 lovely machine and I wish I still had her. Gave her up for some young chick, the young lady went off and I ended up with a rusty old ford Anglian and a yearning for the Bike, I am now 68 years old and ride a Honda hornet which is terrific but not the same as the Bonnie. Thanks for the video, most enjoyable.
Thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed it, the first new car my dad bought was an Anglia I was so proud of it. One of the Drizzle Gand used to have a Hornet he really enjoyed it and it was a quick bike. We have a lovely T140 that we vill be filming soon (weather permitting) Cheers Mike
Cheers Richie thanks for your help we are doing the video as a two parter as we have a lot of good footage (including you honking that super loud horn) Will have part one to Sally this week Cheers Mike
People by a vintage Triumph for the same reason some people buy a vinage Porsche. For that particular experience, which is unmatched. Thanls for the memories!
It's just that sound ! I have a couple of late 70's early 80,s Kawasaki's but my first experience with a Brit twin was at the tender age of 14 , Driver at my Dad's company had a Triton with a 500cc Tiger 100ss engine. Briefly owned my own T140V in the 1980's but to this day I still hanker for a Tiger 100 . Great channel , thanks for sharing informative content ... Lemon Drizzle is my wife's speciality 😁
Great video, the "V" means, five speed, was introduced from 1972. the bonnie in the video is a USA T120R model (R for road) they were supplied to both east & west coast.
Fantastic! Like with the Norton Commando I just love the sound of a 360 degree twin. It's like a cat's purr, and definitely missing in the modern retro twins with their 270 degree cranks.
I've owned many old brit-classics, (in the day ) my new retro Does have the same crank though, when I ''Gut' the mufflers it should sound similar too....W650 (kwaka) Dave NZ
Love to know how it compares to a present day T100 900cc that I own.....engine power wise. Would have loved an old 60s Bonnie but just not practical for me now. the T120 looks and sounds great in the video. Dave is a very lucky man. Nick from Cheshire.
Hi Nick thanks for watching, the 68 is very different to the T100 the 68 is probably about 15 - 20 hp down on yours but it is a lot lighter but then again yours has more sophisticated suspension, one of each in your garage would be the way to go. Although I do agree these old bikes need a fair bit of loving kindness to keep on the road
How can you go wrong 68 Bonneville stainless steel fenders all two kit black paint job consists of spraying gas tank lucky enough to have one many years ago still riding with the always be my favorite bike
Excellent. Just watched the Rocket Three video and, for me, the Bonneville sounds better. More of a bark, reminds me of my brother's T110 that he had in 1969, UDP 357.
Nice to have a review of what these classics are like to ride today. Spent ages restoring an Ariel Leader only to find I did not like riding it much. Brakes, what brakes.😁
Absolutely what a sound what a beautiful background of a road to view.... I had a 1970 Daytona 500 and I swear to you it'll just like this cuz I painted the gas tank Orange. But I also want to add 15:42 that I had a 650 Kawasaki W2 that was in its own right a very classic BSA -ish ride when I was in Okinawa military time. The mechanic there did a juicy restoration and everybody I mean everybody I needed that machine. Riding around the room of that Island at night without any traffic was just the same sound and that old bike feel that I love.
I’ve met up with a few of my younger friend I used to ride with over the last couple of years and we go out for runs at weekends. We used to ride Japanese bikes then but now apart from me and Andy who rides a Hinckley Bonneville America they all ride Harleys. I ride a 2020 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 which I’ve made a few minor changes to. Mines a chrome tank one which I’ve fitted Commando style silencers to that are a bit loud but sound amazing very similar to the old British twins. Guess which gets the looks and compliments when we all go on a run? Yep my Interceptor even teenagers smile and say nice bike etc 😊 Nearest you can buy to a 60s twin these days and I love it
I have got a 650 royal enfield interceptor myself, great bike ,great price ,but my heart belongs to an old bonnie (haven't got one yet ,but will do when I've got the money ) 650 ,take care on the road mate and stay safe.
What a trip down memory lane. I had a ‘68 UK spec as my daily ride from 1981 to 1985. Unfortunately an accident meant the bike and I parted ways. Of the 25 bikes I have owned over the years the Bonnie has always been my favourite. Reg no PVO50F and DVLA recently issued a new V5, so if the current owner reads this comment please get in touch. Thanks for making this video. Subbed.
Quality content in every way, gents. We’ll done. Owned a ‘69 650 Tiger while in the Navy. Left it with some sailor buddies while me and 129 others spent 5 months on a submarine. Came back to find it gone. Will be checking out all your videos. Thanks!
Oh no. The coolest looking Triumph was the 1949 Speedtwin. When I was five or so,the young man next door had this black,red,and silver wonder he called a motorcycle. He would fire that monster up and thrill a little boy to no end. We moved away and lost touch but years later (15) ran into him. I told him about remembering that bike. He told me he still own it, and ask if I would like to take it for a ride. That is why I have this Joker smile. Can't help it. I love my 75 Harley FL, and I have always kept a couple of Triumphs around , but that Speedtwin and that ride, Wow. Now that was a dream come true. (I tried to buy it,he wouldn't sell.)
My classic bikes I owned and rode back in the day were a 1970 R60/5 which was stock except for R90S handlebars, a 1976 R75/6 with R90S handlebars and a Hugon sport touring fairing, a 1974 R90/6 with R90S handlebars, Butler-Avon sport touring full fairing and Craven fiberglass panniers, and a 1978 Smoke Red R100S. I'd love to see you ride any or all of these.
The '68 is the pinnacle-as mentioned has the Concentric carbs and the twin leading shoe front brake but still had the nice polished stainless fenders which make them far more attractive than the painted-fender later models. This one just needs the lower Euro handlebars and it's good to go. I also did the Norman Hyde rearset kit which is a big improvement but took a bit of bodging to get it to fit. Much better footrest position though.
The T120V , V meaning five speed gearbox was introduced in late 1972 and had a mustard coloured tank with it's sister the 650 trophy having a blue tank. Conical hub with twin leading she brake, a much better brake that the 174 Lockheed disc which didn't stop the bike in the wet.
Great vid, very relevant points and perfectly sums up my impressions of that bonnie when I rode one. A more organic experience than any modern bike bar the gen1 aprilia rsvr or tuono which share that same feeling of riding a “living” bike with character and oodles of torque. My ‘78 Ducati Darmah was similar but in many ways less enjoyable to ride as it was much heavier and less reliable! The one thing I didn’t like were those cowhorn bars. I much prefer flatter bars of the earlier tiger and speed twins. Great bike though and they make so much sense on todays roads compared with any modern sports bikes.
Just subscribed to your channel,really enjoyed the video a good honest review.I have a few classic triumphs plus a modern hinckley but I get the most joy riding my 69 T120R almost identical to this bike just a different colour.I look forward to future videos. Cheer’s Chris.
In my humble opinion, the 1970 T120 was the ultimate development of the Bonneville, the last of the pre oil in frame Meriden 650cc twins. The 1971 oil in frame T120 was too tall in the seat and over all it was fugly, I'd love to have a 1970 Bonneville in my garage.
Where abouts do you ride these lovely old timers? i've got an original 84 Harley FXST. Came with the four speed Shovel gearbox.It's a Bar Hopper as well. Narrowed single seat with the Soft tail suspension. Not as old as this lot but 37 years old and ride north of Sydney Aus. I remember back in the 60's going up to the "Old Pac" Pacific Highway and watching all the Trumpie's, Beeza's and Norton's ride by. My favourite was the Commando Fastback. Looked sooo good flying by.
Hi LDG . Good to see you riding on my favourite Shropshire roads . If you’re interested I have a Triumph T140 ES(1982) and rather naughty Ducati 860 caff racer(1976). Pls get in touch when the weather gets warmer.
Recently discovered your channel and enjoying the vids. I've ridden lots of classics in the past, owned a few and am a huge fan of 60s/70s bikes. Intrigued by your comments about the new 650 Enfield, I've had one for 2 years and really like it. The 270 crank isn't quite right but cuts the vibes, otherwise it's quite close to a T120/140 for performance. With very little work they can be made to go quite a bit better too!
that did look and sound beautiful, and in the vid it looked like your were doing over 100mph the whole time even though you were doing less than half that!
Yes - '67 & '68 (except for the 'pancake' F. hub) may be the best-looking of the late, great 60's Bonnies. & last year of the SS fenders/mudguards. This one is a beauty! Electronic ignition?
In our little village in the 60's and 70's there were a good number of young bikers. In the main they fell into two factions, The die hard Triumph men and the BSA gang, I was in the latter so always thought (and still do) that the 650 BSA twins were better, The majestic Rocket Gold Star was THE bike to own as far as I was concerned! I never did but was lucky enough to have a mate with one a 63 in full clubmans trim who let me ride it on a couple of occasions! Now that's a mate!!! So I must watch until you redress the balance and feature one of my beloved BSA Twins!!!
Aah!! Mr Fry, still as good looking and suave as ever!! 😁 To my shame I have a 1966 BSA C15 Sportsman and a 1970 BSA A65 Thunderbolt, neither of which is on the road!!! (health problems, I won't bore you) My main riding bike is a 2008 Roadking I've had from new. Looking forward to seeing more videos. Ade
You should get your C15 and your 650 Esa running much lighter and much more enjoyable than you are Harley. Get them both running and cellular Harley and enjoy them till the day you die.
I lost one of my pipe off my 65 Triumph TR6. I replaced it with a short pipe so I had a short pipe on one side and a long pipe on the other side and it gave it such a weird exhaust note people didn't know what it was.
Thanks for watching, we have a 75 T140 export (blue) in the pipeline to video (fixing up the gear change mechanism) it als has the 7 plate clutch, if you are subscribed you will be notified when we post the video - cheers Mike
In the dictionary where they have the word motorcycle, they should have a picture of a Triumph Bonneville. I love my Triumph TR6 and I have had it for 40 years. Love kick-starting it in front of the Harley boys to show them how to start a real motorcycle. British bikes where the coolest bikes of the 60s and Triumph was the coolest of them all. There's a reason Joan Jett has kick-started a Triumph at the beginning of her music video. I love the fact that none of my British iron have a p**** button. Kick-starting is the only proper way to start a real motorcycle. But people are too damn lazy today.
I reckon that's the most-fun you've had on any of your vids . ( i keep watching it ) This model has Cult-Status in Japan where they pay a lot for them. They have driven-up world-prices by importing them . It also inspired Kawasaki to copy..and make the W650 , which was first-manufactured ONLY for the domestic-market and 'the-Craze' for these bikes over there . Now , W650's and W800's have contributed to the further-escalation of the value of this model . You literally have to 'tell' people that your W650 is Not an old Triumph ! Great that it is still influencing modern Retro-machines . Dave NZ
Coolest looking British bike ever? I would have to say yes. The 1968 Bonneville has long been considered the best looking British bike of all time, and I have to agree. The year they finally got everything right before going in the wrong direction again. Back in the mid 1980s I had the pleasure of owning a 1966 Triumph Bonneville for about 3 years, and absolutely loved it. I'm still kicking myself for selling it. Back around 2010 I went looking for another one. Wow. Talk about sticker shock. I couldn't believe how much the price on them had gone up. Anything in my price range was junk. I finally gave up and bought a new Royal Enfield B5 Bullet in dark green, replaced the EFI with an Amal carburetor using a kit from Hitchcocks (it barely ran with the EFI, and overheated badly) With the carburetor jetted just the way it came, and with an aftermarket exhaust, it ran and sounded beautifully. Plug shows mixture is perfect, and no overheating.
I owned a 68 Bonneville T120 650 and a 1976 Bonneville T120 750. I liked the '76 but I LOVED the 68. The 68 was lighter (363 pounds dry), had a lower COG and handled MUCH better. The 76 was higher, kind of had a gyroscope effect, you had to lean much harder to get the same amount of turning, so the 68 was just a much better riding experience. The 76 handled like most Japanese bikes from the era, because they shared the higher COG and gyroscope effect. Not a bad bike, but just not as enjoyable. The 76 did have a fifth gear, which the 68 always needed.
These bikes were born and designed to run leaded fuel ... when unleaded came out they took a performance hit so nowadays they are not as fast as they were formerly so although they are still fast enough to get you a speeding ticket just about anywhere ... it's just not the same experience as it was back in the sixties ... time marches on !
@@jediknight2350 as I said it's not the same ...they had additives for a time that helped but even that left room for improvement ...this is why larger displacement engines are the norm these days ..!
Hey Mike, just subscribed to the channel. I'm a former classic bike owner. Sold them all ofc a few years ago; 66 BSA 650 Lightning, 70 Commando, 79 Triumph 759, 68 Norton P11 Ranger (basket case). Should the Ranger to a guy in Wales. See if you can find it
Not heard of a P11 Ranger - wow just googled it what a cool bike www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/classic-bikesocial/buying-advice/norton-ranger-p11-750-1967-classic-review-value-spec - will look out for your old one - regards Mike
Lookwise the Triton beats anything. That polished aluminium maxn tank on a featherbed frame, low clip ons and the 650 parallel triumph engine can never be surpassed on looks...
@@waveydavey750 thank you much. Yep he's still kicking it wont mod it for electric start. He did change the points to electonic ignition and repro carbs for reliability.
